Nationwide talent search for the World's Greatest Unknown Comedian Has Been Launched, According to FilmStew.com Chairman John Culton. FilmStew.com in conjunction with The World's Greatest Unknown Producers, Inc.(WGUP), have launched a massive search for the funniest of us all. "We're going to harness the power and global reach of the Internet to find the funniest people on the planet," says Culton. "And that person will become a star thanks to our 'World's Greatest Unknown Comedian' competition."
"For years I worked as a stand-up myself," explains Nadine C. Hamdan, who originally conceived the competition and is one of the executive producers. "I love comedy and wanted to find a unique and powerful way to discover and showcase new talent." Beginning last October 1, people from all walks of life have been sending in videotapes and DVDs of themselves performing original stand-up material, with dozens of performances to be featured on FilmStew.com and affiliated websites for Comedian. Throughout the competition, the public will be able to vote on their favorite comedians at http://www.FilmStew.com/wguc. At the end of each month, the comedian receiving the most votes becomes a semifinalist.
The Internet isn't the only place the public will be able to watch and cheer on their favorite unknown comedians. "We're in the process of wrapping up a deal with a couple of major airlines to include highlights from Comedian to be a part of their in-flight video entertainment program, which will literally bring our competition to new heights," explains Gordon Meyer, who developed Comedian with Hamdan and is one of the competition's executive producers. "You've got millions of people traveling by air every month looking for a way to make their flights a little more pleasant. What better way than to give them some good laughs?"
Hamdan and Meyer have an even more creative way to give the public easy access to the Comedian entries. Fun Little Movies, Inc., a producer and distributor of short films headed up by award-winning filmmaker Frank Chindamo, has recently entered into an agreement with a major mobile phone carrier to broadcast short comedy films to customers on their wireless phones, including many of the stand-up routines submitted by Comedian contestants. "The people subscribing to this service are looking for a short break in their workday," said Chindamo. "The Comedian material is the perfect complement to the library of comedy shorts we'll be offering to mobile phone users. We're very excited to be a part of the Comedian competition."
Comedian runs for six months, ending appropriately enough on April Fool's Day 2005. In June, the winning comedians from each month's semifinals will be flown to Los Angeles for a final showdown, which will be cybercast live on Film Stew . An all-star panel of judges, including comedians Bobby Collins, Judy Tenuta and Taylor Negron, will cast their vote, along with the public's, in order to determine just who is "The World's Greatest Unknown Comedian(TM)." The winner will receive a large cash prize, a management contract and a career-making showcase at a leading comedy club in either Los Angeles or New York.
"Talent competitions like Comedian are part of a long tradition in show business. Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O'Donnell are just two examples of top comics who got their breaks thanks to talent showcases," says Hamdan. "With all the funny unknown people out there just itching to get a similar break, there's an excellent chance that the next Whoopi Goldberg or Billy Crystal will come from The World's Greatest Unknown Comedian(TM). And that's part of the excitement."
The World's Greatest Unknown Comedian(TM) is produced and presented by The World's Greatest Unknown Producers(TM), Inc., in association with FilmStew.com. The competition runs from October 1, 2004 through April 1, 2005. Entry forms are available online at Film Stew .
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